Villanova's pressure rattled Rider as the Wildcats began to pull away in the second half.

With just under 15 minutes to go, Darrun Hilliard picked the pocket of Shawn Valentine in the backcourt and finished with a slam to give Villanova a 56-35 lead.

Hilliard finished with 13 points and has scored in double figures in all but one game this season.

The Wildcats extended their lead to 27 before emptying their bench with one minute left.

Villanova has outscored its opposition by an average of nearly 18 points including wins over No. 18 Kansas and No. 25 Iowa.

The Broncs managed to hang around for much of the first half, pulling within five with 4:41 left until halftime on a pair of free throws from Taylor.

But the Wildcats closed the half on a 16-7 spurt, capped by a 3-pointer from Tony Chennault in the final seconds, to take a comfortable 43-29 lead into the break.

Villanova owns a 24-1 record against Rider - with the Broncs' only win coming in 1944 - and is 49-2 in its last 51 non-conference games at the Pavilion.

The Wildcats will put their unbeaten record on the line next Saturday when they face former Big East rival Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. Three days later, Villanova opens its Big East slate on the road against Butler.